As a fresh eau fills Chanel’s legendary flacon, Joyce Cheo rediscovers the No.5 story and learns how a new chapter can be written by safeguarding the past.
As a fresh eau fills Chanel’s legendary flacon, Joyce Cheo rediscovers the No.5 story and learns how a new chapter can be written by safeguarding the past.
“A woman’s perfume with a woman’s scent,” that was how Coco Chanel described her vision when dreaming up Chanel No. 5. It was the year 1921 and, as an already successful couturier, she wanted to create an exclusive gift for her VIP clients. Entrusting the task to perfumer Ernest Beaux, who had previously been perfume creator to the court of Russia, Mademoiselle Chanel picked the fifth sample concoction he presented to her as her favourite. The rest, as they say, is history. At a time when women’s perfumes exalted a single floral note, No. 5 evoked a sense of mystery, having no identifiable dominant note out of a composition of more than 80 ingredients, including jasmine, May rose, ylang ylang and sandalwood. In response to Coco Chanel’s request for a “composed” creation, Beaux’s unusual use of five different aldehydes brought out a fresh, citrusy facet to the scent, further adding complexity and depth. Chanel No.5 rewrote history and achieved unprecedented feats. Beyond the scent alone, the packaging also rebelled against current conventions—it was the first perfume encased in a clear, minimalist bottle, distinct from the ornate and intricate designs of the era. Even its name stood out for its stark simplicity: By choosing to name the scent after a number (which also happened to be her lucky number), Coco Chanel ensured its timelessness— and its versatility. In addition to the original Parfum, subsequent versions include Eau de Toilette, created by Ernest Beaux in 1924; Eau de Parfum and Eau Première, created by then-Head Perfumer Jacques Polge in 1986 and 2009 respectively.
And as Jacques Polge hands over the reins to his son, Olivier, Chanel marks the dawn of a new age with the creation of a clear and crystalline eau, Chanel No. 5 L’Eau—which also happens to be the fifth edition of the legendary scent. “No. 5 is so well known, it’s very dressed up, and so rich and creamy,” says the younger Polge of the classic scent. “I wanted to make it fresher and more fluid. I knew I wanted to capture modernity,” he explains about his approach. He selected luminous citrus fruits like lemon, mandarin and orange as the top notes, because they “go very well with aldehydes to give the impression of fluidity.” Polge also explored new methods of purifying ylang ylang, extracting only the green and slightly fruity aspect instead of the fullness of the original ylang ylang extract used. And, for the first time, cedarwood is used in place of sandalwood, to complement vetiver at the base for a clean, crisp and sexy finish.
At the same time, he paid homage to the richness of the original No. 5 by retaining the extravagant bouquet of May rose and jasmine, referring to them as “the backbone of No. 5.” The blooms that make up this backbone are grown in the flower fields of Grasse, the famed perfume capital located in the South of France—as they have been since the creation of the first iconic formula in 1921. To ensure the sustainability of these essential ingredients, in 1987, Jacques Polge initiated a partnership between Chanel and the Mul family, which has a long lineage of outstanding farmers who produce some of the world’s finest jasmine and rose on their farm, the largest in Grasse. Now, what the Métiers d’Art is to haute couture, the Mul family is to Chanel’s perfume legacy, growing flowers exclusively for the French House. Presented in Chanel’s iconic glass bottle, the new No. 5 L’Eau continues to make its own rules, encapsulating modernity in an easy, elegant and effortless manner. As the face of the No.5 L’Eau campaign, 16-year-old Lily-Rose Depp embodies this cool, casual attitude—just like her mother, Vanessa Paradis, did in the Coco by Chanel campaign back in 1992. Upholding tradition while embracing the new? Mademoiselle Chanel would definitely approve.
